OUR READERS WRITE...

February 24, 2013

Year after year my family and friends have been dealing with over estimated gas bills. My natural gas provider insists on charging me for natural gas that I'm not using. Why can't I be charged for what I actually use?

Estimated gas bills have always been higher than the actual usage. I have paid thousands of dollars extra based on estimated billing. It had to stop! I decided that every month I would call in my gas reading. The amount that I owed each month dropped considerably. An overcharge from an estimated bill should have been applied to your next month's bill It was not! It was used elsewhere.

I'm shocked that so many people allow this to continue. Estimated billing is the same as if you were overcharged at the grocery or a department store. The majority of people would go back and demand what they are owed. The natural gas providers in the state of Ohio have made millions of dollars from overcharging their customers. Maybe the utility companies in the state of Ohio need to be regulated Maybe the PUCO or our state politicians can do something about this? Maybe not!

RICK HANIGOSKY,

McDonald

America is bound for calamity

To the editor:

In 2008 a friend stated: "America needs to be neutralized." I shockingly responded: "The outcome for the world and Israel would be disastrous and embolden unrestrained dictators."

We are at the precipice of a world disaster of biblical proportions. America has rapidly plunged toward a fiscal, cultural, moral and political apocalyptic calamity. Evil has gone rampant without restraint as Obama votes "Present." The Middle East is on fire. The resounding echoes of the prophets appear to be moving from the bible's pages to the daily news broadcasts.

We are engulfed in an incremental destruction of our constitutional government as a republic. We have elected those whose aspiration is to rule by edict. They are dictatorial socialists, re-definers of our cultural and faith values, micromanagers of our behaviors and personal life choices and centralized planners deconstructing America. Crisis is their best friend. As statists they hold the co-equal checks and balances of congress and the Constitution in contempt as an unfortunate antiquated nuisance that must be made obsolete and put out of the way.

Leveling the playing field they seek to give tanks and fighter jets to radicals overtaking Egypt. Yet, restrict the Second Amendment rights of law abiding American citizens. Spreading the wealth around they gave billions to declared terrorist organizations, as well as, Middle East countries to develop their oil. Yet, inhibit drilling of our resources causing outrageous gas prices. They are bankrupting Medicare, deceptively propagating a Social Security facade, indebting us to China, borrowing 47 cents of every dollar, $50K every second.

Ideological or idiots? Democrat Nancy Pelosi: "It's almost a false argument to say we have a spending problem. We have a budget deficit problem that we have to address." Democrat Steny Hoyer: "Does the country have a spending problem? The country has a paying for problem." Democrat Tom Harkin: "Is it a spending problem? No."

In 2008 Michelle Obama stated: "Barack knows that we are going to have to make sacrifices; we are going to have to change our conversation; we are going to have to change our traditions, our history; we're going to have to move into a different place as a nation to provide the kind of future we all want desperately for our children." Not forgetting Obama's notorious: "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America."

Those who elected this liberal progressive democratic socialism are either ignorant of its insidious destructive encroachment or are complicit with it; delusionally thinking the other guy will suffer and they themselves immune.

Some say: "This is the world's biblical destiny nothing can change it." History is replete with such fatalists who embrace an escapism leaving the world subject to Hell's furry and advancement and secure America's neutralization.

The dictatorial socialist's power is the ignorance of the masses! The famous "Man on the Street" interviews underscore the substantive reality of the descriptive "Low Information People." To quote Alexander Hamilton "Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything."

MARK E. GUY,

East Palestine

Addresses 'other side' of issue

To the editor:

Since the Salem News won't do it, I'd like to speak for the other side on the union issue.

Let me start with a few important points. First of all, there are some heavy rumors that many of these people that rallied were from out of state and were paid to show up. Of course, it looked rather one-sided, because anyone in the opposition was working. I think it's important for local people to decide what happens locally.

Secondly, I have a pretty big problem with a group like this coming to harass a local business, and on top of it, filling up a parking lot that is used to serve a number of businesses in town. The Second Street plaza was overrun as these people parked there, and were shuttled down to Ventra. Potential customers to any business in the plaza had no place to park. If you don't see a problem with this, pull your head out of the sand.

This gang of people, many of whom have no connection to the importance of that shop being in Salem, are essentially harassing a business that follows the rules. They don't have the slightest understanding of the economics of a business and they're really just sheep sent out to make money for the wolves directing them.

What is the point of a union anymore? Don't we have all sorts of federal bureaucracies that have taken over for the things that unions were formed for in the first place? Aren't they a little redundant? Consider this, the public sector is approximately 35 percent unionized. The private sector, less than 7 percent. Who is $16 trillion in debt? We're led to believe that, without unions, we're slaves! What about the 93 percent of the private sector that is the engine of our existence? Cities like the once great Detroit, are on the verge of bankruptcy because of unions and liberal policy crippling industry. When will we learn? You would have thought, in this town, the lesson would have came with Eljer, or American Standard.

This idea that someone who starts at $8/hour for menial labor, should be making twice that simply because they've been working there for 20 years is insanity. I have yet to hear a good explanation of where the money comes from. If you aren't producing more, what entitles you to a raise? Some people say, "well, isn't that just a dead-end job?" It certainly is if you stay in the same position, if you show no ambition to produce more for the company, why should the company reward you more? It all comes from this perpetuated idea that businesses exist to create jobs. Businesses exist to make money. If you don't, you'll never make it.

People don't understand this, apparently because Washington can constantly come up with money. They're setting a poor example, and sooner or later, we're all going to experience the dangers of that the hard way. At this vital time in our small town, can we really afford to risk losing a few hundred more jobs in an attempt to pay people who can't live within their means and think they're entitled to moving up in the world?

Don't worry, the Salem News will remind you every time they mention Ventra that the owner owns the Jacksonville Jaguars. As if it has any shred of significance to the story.